Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Frustration and Regret

A dark figure swiftly emerged from the rooftop.

“Ah!” Old Mrs. Xu’s cries grew increasingly poignant.

Shen Ruoxi’s body rose gracefully.

Without the support of inner strength, her Qinggong was hard to sustain.

She tightly grasped the beam, using force to flip onto the rooftop, yet the dark figure had already fled a distant ten feet away.

“Someone, catch the assassin!” Shen Ruoxi shouted loudly, then dashed away.

Soon, the guards of Shen Mansion were out in force.

“Shen Ruoxi, you’re a delicate young lady, why get involved in these violent affairs? I’m off now! See you next time,” the man said frivolously, disappearing into the vast night.

“Marquis, where’s the assassin?”

Someone leapt onto the rooftop; Shen Ruoxi pointed forward, and the crowd immediately pursued.

This commotion startled Shen Ruoxi’s eldest sister-in-law and fifth sister-in-law.

Upon inquiry, they learned that an assassin had indeed infiltrated Old Mrs. Xu’s room.

Old Mrs. Xu continued to weep inside the room, repeatedly claiming to be a victim, unaware of the assassin’s intrusion.

She continuously thanked Shen Ruoxi, asserting that without Shen Ruoxi’s timely discovery, they might have lost their lives.

Family scandals should not be exposed, leaving only a few masters present in the room.

The maid named Cuicui had been dragged down for a beating, but the servants reported that even after forty strokes, she still firmly denied knowing the assassin, claiming they were indeed there to assassinate them.

As for why assassinate them, Cuicui declared her ignorance.

Yang Family whispered, “Ruoxi, could there be some misunderstanding?”

Old Mrs. Xu’s personality was indeed harsh and hard to endure, but accusing her of having a man was somewhat unbelievable.

Shen Ruoxi felt an immense sense of regret; she was too impulsive. If she had thought carefully and planned meticulously, she might have caught them in bed, rather than now lacking evidence, letting Old Mrs. Xu turn the tables.

Old Mrs. Xu wailed, “This is forcing a confession, coming back to push my own grandmother to death. Shen Ruoxi, how could you be so vicious!”

Shen Ruoxi was agitated by the cries, almost wanting to pierce Old Mrs. Xu with a sword.

“Marquis, Cuicui has fainted!” A servant hurriedly reported.

“Wake her up and continue beating, until she tells the truth,” Shen Ruoxi coldly ordered, her eyes flashing frostily.

The servant was about to act, but Yang Family stopped him: “Wait.”

She softly said to Shen Ruoxi, “Ruoxi, if we continue, it might lead to a fatality.

There’s no conclusive evidence yet, and your grandmother is still the elder of the family. We must plan carefully.”

Shen Ruoxi’s tightly clasped hands had turned white; Yang Family gently pressed her shoulder and said to the servant: “Don’t beat her for now; have a doctor treat her injuries and temporarily confine her.”

Then, she softly said to Old Mrs. Xu: “Grandmother, Ruoxi indeed handled this poorly; please rest well, we’ll leave now.”

“What about Cuicui the maid?” Old Mrs. Xu coldly asked.

“This maid offended Ruoxi; let her reflect in confinement for a few days; I’ll take Ruoxi back first,” Yang Family replied.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Old Mrs. Xu made no further fuss, merely snorting: “Go then!”

Yang Family led Shen Ruoxi out of the room, her expression dark, “Elder sister-in-law, don’t you trust me?”

“Of course, I trust you; you never lie. The issue is we lack evidence.

The adulterer has fled, leaving only the maid Cuicui, who’s unwilling to speak under duress, why?

Not speaking might spare her life; speaking will surely cost it, forcing her is futile.

If we truly beat her to death, leaving you burdened with accusations of recklessly causing death, it would validate Old Mrs. Xu’s claim of forced confession, driving her to a dead end,” Yang Family patiently analyzed.

Shen Ruoxi trembled with rage.

Yang Family continued: “After all, she managed Shen Mansion for years; you just returned and caused such ruckus in the night, and it’s inevitable people may criticize as self-directed and self-acted.

Your feud with Old Mrs. Xu is known throughout the mansion; rumors spread like wildfire, people’s words are fearsome.

The biggest issue now is we lack evidence.”

Shen Ruoxi gritted her teeth, “You’ve been with Old Mrs. Xu for years, yet you really didn’t notice a man around her?”

Yang Family seemed somewhat helpless: “Ruoxi, we indeed haven’t noticed.”

Shen Ruoxi stomped her foot in frustration.

Yang Family sighed, “You were indeed impulsive, you should have called me and your fifth sister-in-law quietly during their intimate act, letting the guards surround her courtyard. Then, the three of us would have burst in, surely catching them in the act.”

Shen Ruoxi nodded slightly, revealing regret in her tone: “At that time, I was too furious, consumed by anger, couldn’t consider much. Looking back, I deeply regret it, letting her seize the opportunity and bite back.”

She regretted not having strategized, following the plan her sister-in-law just suggested, allowing her to directly take action against Old Mrs. Xu now.

Seeing her dismayed, Yang Family comforted her: “Never mind, as long as they’re still involved, we’ll surely find an opening.”

Shen Ruoxi nodded in agreement: “Old Mrs. Xu mentioned that man gained much from the mansion.

Today, we need all the accounting books from the mansion’s shops; I want to review them, maybe finding some clues.”

“Alright!” Yang Family responded.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Ruoxi said, “Cuicui must be kept alive; right now, the one who wants her dead most is Old Mrs. Xu.

Perhaps we can find a breakthrough with her.”

“Ruoxi, do you have a plan?” Yang Family curiously asked.

Shen Ruoxi nodded slightly, whispering a plan into her sisters-in-law’s ears.

Upon hearing her words, both of them patted her shoulder: “You truly are clever; following your plan, Old Mrs. Xu certainly won’t escape.”

Shen Ruoxi added: “Remember to have a doctor treat Cuicui and take good care of her; she’s the key to the success of our plan.”

Yang Family smiled faintly: “Rest assured, I’ll arrange it.”

Shen Ruoxi meticulously reviewed a pile of account books, abandoning her original plan to stay at the Xu Mansion for a couple of days. She sent someone to report to Old Mrs. Xu, saying she’d visit her in a few days.

Old Mrs. Xu inevitably grumbled a bit, “I knew she was just talking.”

Xu Ji’s mother, the mother of Consort Xian, chuckled amiably: “Mother-in-law, you must understand Ruoxi; she just returned to the mansion, surely with many things needing her attention.”

Old Mrs. Xu contemplated for a moment, finding her daughter-in-law’s words reasonable.

Turning to Xu Ji, she kindly said: “Ji, you’re idle now, quickly go to Shen Mansion to assist your cousin with some trivial matters.”

Xu Ji originally wanted to say, when did I become idle?

But he swallowed his words.

In truth, he was quite willing, as he’d rarely seen his cousin before; now that she’s returned to the Shen Family, he naturally felt eager to visit her.

So, he respectfully replied: “Understood, grandmother.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep